Andrea’s Story

I am 38 years old. I'm at my home in Sandpoint, Idaho where I'm currently breastfeeding Delaney, my 14-week-old baby. I've had five pregnancies, almost one per year for the last five years. I have two beautiful children, so I've had three miscarriages. My first two pregnancies coincided with my husband and I opening a business here in town. Super stressful times. Lost both pregnancies back-to-back. One at eight or nine weeks and the next at ten weeks. That took a huge physical and mental toll.

One of the only ways that I was able to persevere was with the support and care of our providers at Sandpoint Women's Health. Lots of appointments, lots of disappointment and sadness. And then of course, hope, every time that you get pregnant. Our first babe, Connell Patrick Hope, who's now two in a couple months, was our third pregnancy. He stuck around and we're ever grateful. Really long birth story for him, 30 hours with an inducement resulted in a healthy baby boy, a vaginal birth delivery. Over the course of almost two full days in the hospital, I saw multiple OBs, because they do long shifts, but apparently my labor outlasted some of their shifts. Dr. Huntsberger and Kristin Algoe were my two OBs present for Connell's birth. After 24 hours, and after five hours of pushing, I couldn't imagine having done it without them there. Every time I see these individuals I just am brought back to the safety and care and joy that I felt that day even though it's really hard work.

My second birth story is Delaney. Her birth story is a little bit different. We had faster labor, no inducement, went into labor on New Year's Eve after attending a small gathering and heading home because I wasn't feeling so well. Was dilated in six to eight hours, pushed for four hours and got nowhere. Ended up with an unplanned cesarean section. Hans Brugger and Morgan Morton were my doctors and I remember Dr. Morton letting me figure out on my own that a C-section might be the best bet, even though I was healthy, and the baby was healthy. We were hitting a stall, and I was totally depleted of energy after almost 13 hours of labor and no progress. Amelia Huntsberger joined the surgery - my first major surgery as an adult. I guess I never had any surgery as a kid either. A surreal experience to be able to chat with your doctors while you're going through what is a major surgery, unexpected and unplanned. And I just remember them making comforting comments, explaining diligently what they were doing. And then, of course, as everyone does when they see Delaney, commenting on the size of her adorable cheeks when she came out. We attribute her inability to get in the birth canal to her cheeks and that's now her nickname. One of the first things I heard the doctor say when she came out was wow, look at those cheeks. Their participation in her birth lives in our house every day because her nickname was the first thing they said out loud.

So grateful for their care, and kinship, really. It's a special relationship you have with your OBs. My experience could have been incredibly different for both deliveries. I had one additional miscarriage between the two babes. With the number of appointments over the past five years, if I had to drive 100 miles round trip to Coeur d'Alene, I can't even tell you about the impact on me as a business owner, a working mom, a mom in general, and our family. So, it's not just about the day you have your baby. It's about all the visits, and ultrasounds, and check-ins, and how much time. Accessibility matters, especially for those who are less fortunate. I feel grateful that I was able to have both of my kids here in town and definitely won't be having any more kids if I have to drive to Coeur d'Alene. They [the OB-GYNs] will be greatly missed and the impact is beyond our understanding at this point, in my opinion. Last, I just can't believe that lawmakers who think they're supporting families are pushing people into a place where they can really consider having kids or afford to traverse to the doctor's or put them in emergent circumstances while in labor driving to Coeur d'Alene. I wish they would stick to roads and bridges and stay out of the labor and delivery room.

Thanks to my OBs and their entire team of nurses and technicians. They helped us make our family and we're so lucky to have had them in our lives.

—Andrea